A tangential problem is the rules for falling objects. Thanks to shrink item, you can deal 3d6 every two levels by using rocks in the countryside, and the damage triples when wall of iron comes online. Some DMs will 'solve' this by removing shrink item, which we all know to be short-sighted at best.
To fix both, we need to nerf gravity.
As it stands, one of the major ways to fix dropping things on people is to not have falling object damage be a linear relation to weight. The simplest method would to base it off the improvised weapon rules.
Once you get 20+ Strength, you stop caring about encumbrance from your active adventuring gear. At 19, you can wear full plate, a tower shield, a bastard sword, a longbow w/quiver, and have room to spare without broaching medium load. Keeping in tradition of prior D&D editions (assuming 18/XX = 19), we can make 20+ the minimum to qualify for an alternate carrying capacity.
Super Strength & Super-Size Meals
There are many elements that go into damage dealt by objects falling from the sky. However, falling debris is just an attack on your person by physics, and attacks are already abstracted heavily in lieu of the staggering array of variables to account for. Therefore, we seek to better abstract the rules with the goal of play-ability in the genre of heroic fantasy.
Size categories are an excellent way to increase damage in a system that already uses it for its weapons. Let's get started with a few new definitions
The base damage is 2d6 for Large size weight, following the rules for weapon scaling from there (1d6 for Small, 1d8 for Medium, etc).
When an object falls onto someone, it deals damage based on its abstract weight and the distance fallen. Every 10' fallen increases its size category for damage by one, and deals one size category less than normal if it falls less than 10'. The except is for objects of Medium weight or less. Every category smaller than Large doubles the increment it must fall to deal damage (20' for Medium, 40' for Small, 80' for Tiny). This damage increase ceases after 200', so a Tiny object can only ever deal 1d6 from falling, even if dropped from a skyscraper.
Lifting with your legs
The carrying capacity rules largely work, so long as you don't try to recreate something with super strength. The Strength necessary to recreate the likes of Superman (77 to lift a 747 over his head) would synergize with the rest of the system into some kind of fanfic supervillain.
In order to recreate said individuals with extreme powerlifting techniques while preventing their fists from turning into miniature spheres of annihilation, we need to pull them off the chart into something more narrative.
The super strength quality changes carrying capacity to instead be based off of abstract weight and level. The character's max load is equal to his own size in weight, increased by one category per 3 character levels (rounded up); so a 7th level strong man can lift an object of Gargantuan weight over his head. A light load is anything at least a full size category smaller than your max load in weight, and you can push/drag an object 5' as a full-round action if it's one size category larger than your max load.
You can use any object that's a light load as an improvised weapon. If it's absolute size is equal to or larger than you, than it's always a two-handed weapon. If the object is roughly club shaped, then it can used as melee weapon with a reach equal to its absolute size, but you do not threaten with it. The weapon deals base damage as if its abstract weight were equal to the character's light load (can swing it faster/harder if less than, so it equals out).
If an object is too bulky to count as a club, it can still be used as an area attack from range or melee. It covers an area equal on its absolute size, the damage subject to a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10 + 1/2 level + Str modifier)
The range increment of the weapon is 10' for every size category smaller than the character's max load. The character makes a normal attack roll against any one target in the area of the attack, automatically dealing normal damage if he hits. Even if he misses, the target and everything in the area of the object must make a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10+1/2 level+Str mod).
Size categories are an excellent way to increase damage in a system that already uses it for its weapons. Let's get started with a few new definitions
- Absolute size is the basic size category of the object, generally determined by the length of its longest dimension
Abstract weight is to very roughly describe how heavy it is, also described in terms of size categories
- Fills most of the volume of its size, such as a crate (+1)
- Stone or similar density (+1)
- Metal or similar density (+2)
- Thin and barely fills volume, such as a club or stick (-1)
- Noticeably less dense than wood, such as cloth (-1)
- Hollow shell (-1)
The base damage is 2d6 for Large size weight, following the rules for weapon scaling from there (1d6 for Small, 1d8 for Medium, etc).
When an object falls onto someone, it deals damage based on its abstract weight and the distance fallen. Every 10' fallen increases its size category for damage by one, and deals one size category less than normal if it falls less than 10'. The except is for objects of Medium weight or less. Every category smaller than Large doubles the increment it must fall to deal damage (20' for Medium, 40' for Small, 80' for Tiny). This damage increase ceases after 200', so a Tiny object can only ever deal 1d6 from falling, even if dropped from a skyscraper.
Lifting with your legs
The carrying capacity rules largely work, so long as you don't try to recreate something with super strength. The Strength necessary to recreate the likes of Superman (77 to lift a 747 over his head) would synergize with the rest of the system into some kind of fanfic supervillain.
In order to recreate said individuals with extreme powerlifting techniques while preventing their fists from turning into miniature spheres of annihilation, we need to pull them off the chart into something more narrative.
The super strength quality changes carrying capacity to instead be based off of abstract weight and level. The character's max load is equal to his own size in weight, increased by one category per 3 character levels (rounded up); so a 7th level strong man can lift an object of Gargantuan weight over his head. A light load is anything at least a full size category smaller than your max load in weight, and you can push/drag an object 5' as a full-round action if it's one size category larger than your max load.
You can use any object that's a light load as an improvised weapon. If it's absolute size is equal to or larger than you, than it's always a two-handed weapon. If the object is roughly club shaped, then it can used as melee weapon with a reach equal to its absolute size, but you do not threaten with it. The weapon deals base damage as if its abstract weight were equal to the character's light load (can swing it faster/harder if less than, so it equals out).
If an object is too bulky to count as a club, it can still be used as an area attack from range or melee. It covers an area equal on its absolute size, the damage subject to a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10 + 1/2 level + Str modifier)
The range increment of the weapon is 10' for every size category smaller than the character's max load. The character makes a normal attack roll against any one target in the area of the attack, automatically dealing normal damage if he hits. Even if he misses, the target and everything in the area of the object must make a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10+1/2 level+Str mod).
Girdles and Power Lifters
A magic item that boosts strength should retain relevance, as should attempts by players who will undoubtedly attempt to increase their size once they obtain super strength; the method of which I leave to the reader as an exercise. As a rule of thumb, any item that boosts the user's super strength shouldn't boost it by more than one size per four levels.
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